celebraTINg exisTENce: February 2015

Hindi ko alam. Gusto ko lang magsulat ng magsulat kahit walang saysay para maubos 'yung luha at para mabawasan 'yung sakit. Bakit biglaan naman?

6 years.

May langit din ba para sa mga aso? Kung, oo. Sana, oo. Magpapakabait ako makapunta lang dun.

Nagiging anghel ba sila pag namatay? Kung, oo. Sana, oo. Abangan mo pa rin ako. Bantayan mo pa rin ako. Maging masaya ka pa rin pag dadating ako. Grabe. Ang sakit sakit. Karma ko ba 'to? Sorry. Sorry na buhay mo 'yung naging kapalit.

Tuwing umaalis ako ng bahay namin, lalabas na 'yan, hindi papasok hangga't hindi ako nakakadating.

Tuwing hindi naman ako nakakauwi ng ilang araw, malungkot din siya, hindi kakain hangga't di ko tatawagan na kumain na.
Tuwing dadating ako, hindi kumpleto pag walang asong galaw ng galaw 'yung buntot na sasalubong sa'kin sa pinto.

Hindi naman 'yan tumatabi sa'kin pag natutulog pero dun sa mga araw na malungkot ako at ayokong makipag-usap sa kahit kanino, tatabi 'yan sa'kin sa kama. Hindi aalis kahit anong gawin ko. Para siguro hindi ko maramdaman na mag-isa ako. Para siguro sa comfort. Sana ganun pa rin kahit physically wala ka na. Pwede ba 'yon? Pwede kaya 'yon? Sana maramdaman ko na meron pa rin akong kuchi na nagbabantay.

Sabi nila, para sa'tin bahagi lamang sila ng buhay natin pero para sakanila, tayo ang buhay nila. Maraming salamat para sa anim na taon na pinagtyagaan mo kong hintayin. Hindi man ako perfect. Marami man akong pagkukulang. Sana para sa'yo, hindi mo napansin 'yon.

Mas okay na ba 'to? Hindi ka na maghihintay? Sana totoo na lang na may kaluluwa sila para hindi na nga niya ko hintayin para kahit saan, at kahit kailan meron pala kong kuchi na kasama. Para kahit ayoko dahil matigas ulo niya, susunod pa rin siya sa'kin.

Sana para sakanya naging mabuti akong amo. Sana kung may dog heaven man, kung sakaling tanungin siya ng ibang aso kung pano siya tinrato ng amo niya, sana maging proud siyang sabihin na ako 'yon, na para sakanya hindi niya na gugustuhin na sa iba siya napunta. Grabe. Ang sakit sakit pero mas okay na rin siguro.

God. Salamat sa anim na taon pero ino-offer ko na Sa'yo 'yung buhay niya, 'yung lahat ng sakit na naramdaman niya bago siya mawala, pati 'yung sakit na nararamdaman ko ngayon, lahat lahat po. Sana wala na 'to bukas pagkagising ko... kasi kung malungkot pa rin ako bukas at kung masasaktan pa rin ako, wala na siyang mgagawa para tumabi sa'kin. Ayoko nun.

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After having our lunch, we went to Sandiego-Yap Ancestral House in Parian District of Cebu.

There are English-speaking tour guides in the house. They explain well and are willing to take your pictures when you're there. With matching, "Dito po so you'll look like you're inside a picture frame."

I don't have a lot of pictures because this house is already more than 300 years old. It was said that this house was built in the 17th century and being the paranoid that I am, I was scared that someone would show up in one of the pictures I'll be taking so I didn't take that risk. hahahahahaha.

I enjoy walking around places like this even if I get scared sometimes by what's inside because these places give you a glimpse of the past.

It's also worth noting that a lot of infrastructures in Cebu, even those newly-built, show damage from the destructive earthquake that struck the city last 2013 yet this house has no great damage - it was said that it's still 95% original and the oldest existing Chinese house outside China.

There are a lot of religious artifacts, plates, glasswares, paintings etc.

For residents of Luzon who can't go to Cebu yet, there's also a museum with vast collection in Villa Escudero Plantation and Resort, Tiaong, Quezon.

Also unlike Crisologo Museum in Ilocos, the descendants of Sandiego-Yap still sleep there over the weekends.

Roof of the house is made from clay.

So this ends the series of pictures I took from "Balay nga Bato ug Kahoy" which translates to "House of Wood and Stones".

Near Sandiego-Yap Acestral House, you can find Cebu Heritage Monument.

It depicts the most important events that had happened in Cebu and is a work of Eduardo Castrillo, a national artist.

P.S. When we were in Cebu, Parian District is defined as the home of the residences of the most prominent families there during the Spanish period. Then, as I was watching a documentary of Binondo the other night, I found out that there's also a parian in Manila. Turns out that there are a lot of Parians in the Philippines. During the Spanish colonial period, the authorities believed that ethnic groups should be segregated and for Chinese Merchants the Parian was where they lived. (or maybe the story wasn't really like this pero halos 'yan 'yung idea.)

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From Alegre Guitars in Mactan Island, we drove through this bridge to the main island of Cebu.

This bridge is named Mactan-Mandaue bridge, one of the two bridges that spans across the Mactan channel.

Hello, Mandaue!

Beverly Hills, Lahug, Cebu.

Rich kidzzz.

Inside Beverly Hills or should I say, in the highest point of Beverly Hills is the Taoist Temple.

This place was one of my concerns actually since the non-negotiables of this tour is that it should be "senior citizen - friendly" but in order to go to the main temple, you'd have to climb 81 steps.

By the way, the 81 steps in the Taoist temple represent the 81 chapters of Taoism scriptures.

Kaya pero mabagal. Mabagal pero kaya. Mace lang. hehehe.

We haven't had a decent breakfast when we went here that's why it was really draining. It wasn't that hard for me though but it was difficult for my companions.

Travel while you're young talaga. :))) Huhuhu. Budget. Huhuhu. Travel fund. Huhuhu. Pero keri 'yan!! We can make it work. :D

But thankfully, they continued and made it to the temple.

Taoism is a religion founded by Lao Zi, a poet and philosopher of the Ancient China. If you've read the quote, "A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath one's feet." then you've read one of his famous quotes.

To have an idea about Taoism I found this definition:
The path of understanding Taoism is simply accepting yourself. Live life and discover who you are. Your nature is ever changing and is always the same. Don’t try to resolve the various contradictions in life, instead learn acceptance of your nature.

I never paid much attention before but reading the definition now, Taoism has become more interesting for me. Click on the link above to know more about it too.

"Taoism is about embracing the life in the now."
"No wrong paths in the end since it's all about experiencing life."

I did this on our first time in Cebu but skipped doing it during this trip.

This temple is 300 meters above sea level so you get to see a panoramic view of the city.

After Taoist temple, we headed to Joven's Grill and Seafoods for our eat-all-you-can lunch.

P 230.00/person with this much (wasn't able to take pictures of all the choices) options, I think it's a good deal.

As for the taste, I found most food good.
I specially liked the grilled food options (fish, chicken, pork) and this lechon kawali.

The choices were diverse mainly consisting of Filipino, Chinese and Japanese cuisines. The staffs were polite and attentive too.

This is the only eat-all-you-can restaurant that we tried in Cebu and it did not disappoint.

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This is my first fly-out for 2015. First kasi may second and hopefully may third at iba pa... :D #bakitbalibrelangnamanmangarapsakagustokoulitmakasakayngairplaneatmatuto eh. HAHAHAHAHAHA. Hashtag pa more.

This is the first time that I've ridden a plane with this kind of view. The formation of the clouds that morning was more than breathtaking that I was really close to disobeying the rules because the most beautiful clouds I saw was when cameras and other digital devices were already asked to be turned off. I couldn't take the possible risk of not following so I stopped myself and just let my eyes feast on the view I was lucky to have seen.

The view at first was like flying on top of Mt. Pulag's sea of clouds and after sometime it was like flying on top of cotton-like clouds

Mas magandang version nito: I got this picture from the internet. Credit to whoever owns this.

We were picked up from Mactan airport and immediately proceeded to the Twin City Tour composed of Lapu-Lapu City and Cebu City.

First off, was Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Punta Engano, Lapu-Lapu City.

Built in honor of Lapu-Lapu who is known as the warrior king who killed Magellan during the battle of Mactan in 1521.

In this place was where Magellan was killed as in, dito na dito raw sabi nila. It was said that Lapu-Lapu was the first Filipino who resisted foreign invasion and colonization but the fact that we believed in since elementary is untrue.

Sino pumatay kay Magellan? Edi si... Lapu-lapu.

Hindi daw. The one who killed Magellan was not Lapu-lapu but one of his men.

Low tide with lots of small crabs, this place is called Magellan Bay where annual re-enactment of the Battle of Mactan (locally called Kadaugan sa Mactan) is held. It was said that during that day, lots of Cebu delicacies are served for free-tasting. Huhu. I want.

It's not that obvious in the picture but the color of Lapu-lapu's sword is different from the rest of the statue because the original was stolen. Ayan ah, pag sila pinatay ng tauhan ni Lapu-Lapu.

Tignan mo kung gaano kalakas 'yung hangin habang andyan kami. hehe. Sobrang okay din 'yung weather.

Across the shrine are souvenir stalls. Bili na agad agad. Hahaha

Want to go to a Lapu-Lapu Monument but (still) can't go to Cebu? There's one in Rizal Park, Manila.

A lot of establishments are currently being built in the area.

The place (Lapu-Lapu City) became more interesting since they've included the words "historic" and "resort" in one slogan. Considering that this place is rich history and heritage but is also currently going with the flow by developing new establishments such as five star resorts and hotels, I think the branding they thought of is perfect.

Next stop was Alegre Guitars which is also in Lapu-Lapu City.

I learned that the sound produced by guitars vary depending on the design of the woods. Ayun, 'yung mga kahoy.

Cebu is also known for guitars and one of the prominent makers in the area is this Alegre Factory.

The only guitar chords I know are A, B, C, D, E, F, G and the only song I know how to play is "Crazy for You" so I just bought these guitar key chains for remembrance. Aside from the show areas on how they make their guitars, there's also a souvenir area for us who aren't really interested in (buying) guitars but are interested in buying souvenirs just because we're burgis tourists. Hahahaha. Jk. May 3 for 100 sila.

Ayan ah, kung sila nakikipag-date andito lang ako sa internet at naga-update. E may date din naman, pwede na rin. Hehehehe.

Happy Valentine's!!

Kahit mukha akong bitter, hindi po.

Enjoy being single. Wala naman masama dun. Use this time to go places, meet a lot of people ganyan. Aarte pa ba na single kung wala naman forever at maghihiwalay din ang may mga jowa? Hahahaha!! Joooke. Darating din 'yon sa buhay natin. Traffic lang talaga kaya enjoy muna. :))

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I woke up to this very disturbing news published by Philstar about the mayor of Dumanjung, Cebu named Nelson Garcia saying that, "Dolphins, whales and sharks are parasites. Hence, should be killed."

I won't go into details but you might want to read the articles here: Philstar and Rappler.

This was the first item in our itinerary on our second day in Cebu. At 5 AM we were picked up at our Pension House and were driven 3 hours south to Barangay Tan-Awan, Oslob a famous spot in Cebu for Butanding a.k.a Tuki Watching.

At around 8 AM, we arrived here at Brumini Resort, Oslob.

These are some of their cottages.

These are the rates.

They don't only have Butanding Watching. They also have Tumalog Falls and Sumilon Island Hopping. -_- Gusto ko talaga bumalik for Tumalog and Sumilon. Huhu. Someday, I shall see sandbars too, someday.

From Brumini, we rode a multi-cab to the Whale Watching area.

Before whale watching, we were briefed about the do's and don'ts of diving/ swimming with the whale sharks. I won't explain anymore what butandings are since I believe that words in this picture are still readable.

But for swimmers:
1. No Flash Photography
2. Don't Apply Sunscreen
3. Keep at least 4 meters distance away from the whale shark.

Wag matigas ang ulo, please. Follow the rules. They're there for a reason. Oo, alam kong nagpunta/magpupunta ka dun for a picture at selfie ganyan pero respeto naman din.

We were given life jackets and snorkeling gears.

It's P 500.00/30 minutes/person for those who wish to swim with the whales, and P 300.00/30 minutes/person for those who'd be contented to just watch from the boats. The prices are more expensive for international tourists.

Ayan na siyaaaaa.
Infairness, the water here is really deep but I still took off my life jacket so I can swim better.

They only use non-motorized boats in the area.

AT THE BEGINNING...

In my opinion, the system on how they handle tourists who are whale watching is fine. There's a briefing first and rule-defiant tourists are supposedly penalized.

Although the practice is not 100% right since whale sharks are wild animals, I think that it's still better that this kind of activity exists for three reasons: 1. Awareness. 2. Source of income for the locals. 3. Further studies of whale sharks.

The pull factor of the whale shark watching in Oslob is strong. Given that it's 3 hours away from the city and yet a lot of people travel all the way there is not something to be overlooked. Further explanation to tourists and seminars to the locals who are handling the activity are a must though. Hindi rin naman maaalis na kaya hindi nata-trato ng maayos kasi kulang sa knowledge kung paano tratuhin ng maayos.

The moment I jumped off the boat and was able to see one under water, I was shocked. Hahahaha!!! Grabe, ang laki pala talaga.

But what surprised me more was their behavior.

Wild animal sila kaya dapat mailap sila sa tao pero hindi eh, parang sila, "Okay, andyan ka pala. Sige, picture ka lang. Lalangoy at kakain lang ako dito." Ganyan lang.

Natatakot ako ng konti pag may lumalapit na isa sa'kin as in katabi ko lang kasi nga akala niya ata ako 'yung long lost sister niya. May isang time pa na tinamaan ako ng buntot niya sa paa.

But in all seriousness, I was really surprised that these whale sharks were approaching humans. 'Cause when we went to Bohol before for a dolphin watching/interaction, yes, we swam in the ocean but none of the dolphins there approached us. Akala ko ganun din 'yung proseso dito, sa pagkain siguro talaga na binibigay.

As time passed by and as I was able to observe them (boatmen and whale sharks) more. I was starting to feel sad for the whale sharks there. I was starting to think about all the negative impacts this kind of interaction will cause the whales in the area.

Luring them around the whale watching area, it was as if the whale sharks are acting like dogs following the boatmen for their food. The practice will alter the behavior of the whale sharks and it's not surprising that a time will come that they would just depend on human for food, or that they won't migrate anymore since they're living the comfortable life there.

Them, not migrating, when they are considered as migratory species might pose great danger since they aren't able to breed anymore. Also since they're highly-migratory, we don't know a lot about where they're going, diba? What if... what if during their migration they see a boat and that time, it's motorized and has a propeller... then, lumapit siya kasi nga sa Oslob (parang sa classical conditioning ng aso) ang ibig sabihin ng boat e pagkain, delikado 'yun. Parang tinuruan ang mga butanding na lumapit sa kamatayan nila. :(

Thing here is this activity helps the people of the town but it may be nothing but harmful to the whale sharks in the long run. :( Hindi ko na alam... kayo na lang mag-decide kung gusto niyo pa o hindi subukan.

But did I post this here to tell you that I was able to experience it firsthand? No. Not only that.

Teka, dahil mas gusto kong tignan na lang siya kesa mag picture ako ng mag picture. Hi daw muna sabi ng braso ko saka ng kalahati ng mukha ko.

At ito na nga 'yung buntot na humampas sa'kin. Uyyy, di ako 'yung lumapit ah!!!! Di ako 'yung nag cross ng 4 meters na dapat pagitan namin baka pag-multahin ako. Ito na nga 'yung sinasabi ko kanina, medyo hindi talaga maiiwasan 'yung ganito.

Bilang sagot sa mga sinabi ni Mayor na... copy paste lang 'to galing sa Rappler website.

1. "Whale sharks and dolphins are pests, eating two tons of fish a day"
2. "Man should be the first to survive, not the whales, not the fish, because we will be violating the Bible. God said, man have dominion over the ocean, the fishes, the birds, the animals, and subdue it. That is the order of God."
3. "He insisted commercial fishing should be allowed in the waters of the strait."
AT MARAMI PANG IBA.

I am not an expert too. In fact, I've only read facts about butanding before we went to Cebu just so I'd know what to expect. But coming from a mayor? This idea? Kill the marine animals because they are considered as pests? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. O SIGE, MAYOR. IKAW NA. I know someone with attitude similar to the mayor. Since he can not accept his mistakes, he would just point out the faults of others. It's unhealthy.

This is the reason why people should be well-educated on how to conserve nature and why do we need to conserve it, we should understand that nature has a balance that we need to protect. I think this is the "dominion" the bible is talking about and not say that we're the only ones who deserve to live, hindi 'yun dominion; arrogance at ignorance 'yon. It's not right to kill whales and dolphins just because they eat food that are meant to be consumed by humans. :( Kung pagbabasehan ang symbiotic relationships nga, dapat 'yung relationship na nage-exist sa mga tao at sa nature ay dapat mutualism. Hindi commensalism at lalong hindi parasitism. Pero sa sitwasying ito, masyado na nagiging parasite ang mga tao sa mga hayop at nature, noh! Wala na yata tayong ginawang mabuti.

And FYI, whale sharks (butandings) are filter-feeders meaning they just strain suspended/floating food particles from the water. Yes, they are humongous but they only eat krills and planktons. Are those huge losses?

Then, he said that commercial fishers should be allowed in the strait. huhuhuhu. Ilang tons 'yung kinukuha nun?! 100 tons? Ayan, malaking kawalan o baka may malaking lagay sila kay Mayor? Hahahaha. Ako e nagre-react lang naman kagaya niya. Baka kaya gusto ipapatay 'yung mga butanding kasi pag kinain nila 'yung mga isda, walang pakinabang 'yung mga pulitiko pero pag commercial fishers ang kumuha, may pakinabang sila. :(( Nakakalungkot talaga.

Sure. Kill the marine animals since they're just pests and those blamed for the decrease of fishes caught in the area and stand firm by your false beliefs but what happens next? Come to think of it. They are not the real problems here, we are. It is human activity that's upsetting the balance of nature through overfishing, pollution etc.

Yes, there's money and food for today but since the practice isn't sustainable (fishing and living), what would happen to the future generation?

It's really saddening that the statement has to come from a Mayor but it just showed that you can be powerful yet ignorant of these facts. It just showed that not everyone is on the same side of the coin. :( But on the brighter note, madaming nagalit sa kanya at naungkat na naman 'yung conservation issues ng environment. Baka rin pala maisip nung mga naglagay na ang ignorante nung mayor (pati ako) na hindi sapat na mag-type lang dito at magsabi na i-conserve sila nang wala namang ginagawa, diba? Baka rin pala matuto na tayo sa kahalagan ng pagpili ng mas maayos na tao (mas maayos talaga haha) na ihahalal sa pwesto para may pakinabang naman. Hindi 'yung para silang mga boatmen na akala mo pinapakain ka pero mas nilalagay ka pala sa alanganin.

Pero hindi talaga ko maka-move on eh. Seryoso ka talaga, Mayor?! Seryoso ba talaga 'yon? Tas meron pa siyang nalalaman na hindi lang naman sa Butanding nakasalalay 'yung Turismo ng lugar nila dahil na i-raise ata na point na nakikilala ang Cebu dahil sa mga Butanding. Oo, hindi nga lang Butanding pero malaking factor sila.

Hindi ko naintindihan kasi sa Cebuano nakasulat pero kung mama-manage lang ng maigi, napakalaki ng potential ng area nila kung Turismo lang naman ang pagbabasehan lalo na't may international airport sila sa Cebu at kung mapa-practice lang ng maayos 'yung sistema ng pangingisda, dadami at magre-replenish/magre-regenerate ulit 'yung mga isda dun.

"Unsa man ang tourism? Gwapo nga waterfalls unya makakaon og nindot nga isda ang mga turista… Parasites gyod na sila (dolphins, whales, and sharks) sa dagat. Moingon kintahay ta nga nindot kaayo kay daghang whales, unya ang mga tawo wa nay gikaon kay gihurot na ang mga isda.” HINDI KO MAINTINDIHAN LAHAT. :((((( Parasites lang. Sino nga ba totoong parasites?!

After whale shark watching, we were driven back to the resort where we ate our lunch and rested for a while before going to our next destination.

Bye, Oslob!!

Babalik ako for Sumilon Island and Tumalog Falls. :))

NAKAKASTRESS 'YUNG BIGLA AKONG NAPA-POST NITO KAHIT HINDI PA DAPAT DAHIL WALA PA NGA 'YUNG FIRST DAY PERO HINDI TALAGA KO MAPALAGAY DAHIL NAKAKAGALIT.

-_-

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